Button attaching machine



March 14,1933. F, RWHWE 1,901,386

BUTTON ATTACHING MACEJHINE Filed Jan. 7, 1952 4 Sheets-Sheet l 60EAT-m... 1 mf 51746 44 41 5'? m. I

I i i I O Q Chm Hanklzn R. iui'e,

1 Invn i 'or:

March 14, 1933. F. R WH 1,901,386

BUTTON ATTACHING MACHINE Filed Jan. '7, 1932 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 QWEQQQELWFania-zip R.WhiZ'e,

March 14, 1933.

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Am 1/ f F. R. WHITE 1,901,386

BUTTON ATTACHIING MACHINE Filed Jan. 7, 1932 4 Sheets-Sheet 3|V/////////i 2 v 3. v v Fnanklz'n ILW/z 2712,

Inueni'or.

March 14, 1933. R wH|TE 1,901,386

BUTTON ATTACH-1N6 MACHINE Filed Jan, 7, 1932 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 AIM!Inventor.

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Patented Mar. 14, 1933 UNETED STATES Parser series FRANKLIN R. WHITE, OFVIATERBUBY, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOB TO THE PATENT BUTTON COMPANY, OFWATER'BUEY, CONNECTICUT, A; CORPORATION OF CON- NECTICUT BUTTONATTACHING MACHINE Application filed January 7, 1932. Serial N0. 585,319.

My invention relates to new and useful pierce the material to which thebutton is to be attached and be jammed up within the button head to thustightly secure the button to the material.

The present application in its broadest aspects is similar to the typesof button attaching machines shown in Patent Nos. 1,07 9,968, 1,083,420and 1,567,882, granted to me respectively on December 2, 1913, January6, 191a, and December 29, 1925. The'present application is also acontinuation in part of the application filed by Frederick H. Petersonon April 8, 1931, Serial No. 528,680, for button attaching machines.

In the application just above-mentioned, the anvil post is undercut, sothat cooperating interlocking jaws hold the tack in the jaws until thebutton has been forced up into the button head, the button head, throughthe action of the plunger, forcing the tapered jaws apart, so that theyare thus unlocked from the anvil, after which they are forced downwardlyaway from the tack and button head. Also, in the application ofFrederick H. Peterson above-mentioned, there is provided a cam actionthat starts into effect on the initial movementof the plunger to put adownward pressure on the tack or fastener gripping aws, so that when thebutton head finally spreads the jaws apart the carrier of the jaws beingunder heavy spring pressure and the jaws being new unlocked will snap toa lower plane and out of theway.

The present application embodies the same general type of machine asshown in the Peterson application and in the aforementioned originalpatent to me, No. 1,567,882. However, instead of providing a camarrangement wherein the pressure is built up while the jaws are stilllocked, so that when, the jaws are unlocked the jaw carrier will snapdown outof place, I have provided an arrangement whereby the jaws arecapable of quickly opening and closing but do not lock in the sense thatthey did in the Peterson embodiment, norare they forced open by thebutton head pressing on the tapered jaws but, on the other hand, areopened wholly by a cam action which is so timed that as the plunger isabout to jamthe button down on the tack, the jaws will be quickly moveddownwardly and out of the way by the cam action. Thus, there is nosnapping of the jaws as in the former instance.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a button attachingmachine wherein the jaws for the tack or fastener extend over the top ofthe anvil post to hold the tack tightly in its proper position until thetack has just started to penetrate the button head. In the meantime,a-icam, which will afterwards be duly explained, has moved so that atthe moment the tack is to be jammed in the button head, the jaws will beoperated by the cam and moved rapidly out of the way,ithat is, duringthe last moment of the stroke of the plunger. The jaws also will remainin the lowered position during a portion of the upstroke of the plunger,so

that the newly attached button and the cloth will not hinder thesucceeding operation.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a cam operatingarrangement for opening and lowering the tack holding jaws, so that thelever or'arm which also operates the button attachingplunger will causethe cam that affects the jaws to move slowly through the initialmovement of the plunger and will then cause the cam, that is, during thelast part of the stroke of the plunger, to move very rapidly but with aneven movement to then retract the jaws, so that the button can be firmlyattached to the cloth and the jaws be out of the way.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a button attachingmachine with a cam arrangement for operatingthe jaw carrier and jawsthat hold the tacks or fasten ers'in position, wherein the opening ofthe jaws will take place at the proper time but there will be nodownward snapping of the .button attaching machine jaws, as the jaws arenever looked in the sense that they are locked in the arrangement shownby Peterson.

Still another object of the invention is to so shape the cam operatingslot of the oscillating arm or lever which operates the tucker slide andthe tack holding jaws that the tack jaws will remain closed during thegreater part of the downward movement of the button attaching plunger,but justas the plunger is about to force the button head on the tack,the oscillating rm or lever will quickly operate the cam that operatesthe tack jaws to thereby lower the jaws onthe anvil post and out of theway.

It mi ht be mentioned here that in all button attaching machines, oneofthe desideratums is to have the tack holding jaws firmly hold the tackin an upright position, so that the tack when forced up into the buttonhead will come in the proper position. At the same time, the jaws mustbe moved out of the way to thus not interfere with the repositioning ofthe cloth for the next button attaching operation. I

Still another object of the invention is to provide a button attachingmachine wherein the reverse movement is true, that is, after the plungerhas ascended a slight distance, the aws will be allowed to rise, whileduring the rest of the upward stroke of the plunger the new tack will beheld in position for the next stroke of the plunger and, at the, sametime, there will be plenty of room between the plunger and the buttonattaching jaws so that the operator, in feeding the cloth over the jaws,will not be hampered by the jaws or plunger.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a synchronizedopening and closing of the jaws and the downward and upward movement ofthe plunger, so that the machinemay be operated rapidly but smoothlywithout pressure being built up on the ja ws while they are waiting tobe opened, as would be the case in the Peterson application.

With these and other objects in view, the

invention consists in certain new and novel. arrangements andcombination of parts, as will be hereinafter more fully described andpointed out in the claims.

Referring to the drawings, I

Fig. 1 is a side'elevation of my improved showing the plunger in itsuppermost or normal position and showing the tack or fastener holdingjaws in their closed or normal position;

Fig. 2 is a substantially vertical central section with parts removedfor the sake of clearness, other parts being shown in elevation, theplunger being shown as about to jam the button head down on the tack,the button holding jaws being shown in their lowermost position, the camfor lowering the jaws being fully advanced; the dotted line position ofthe main oscillating lever showing the lever in its uppermost position.

Fig. 3 is substantially an enlarged horizontal central section 01"- themachine with parts removed, showing the tack jaws in their closedposition and showing the cam and its mechanism for lowering the jaws intheir normal position;

Fig. 4 is a similar view but showing the cam mechanism for forcing thejaw carrier downwardly in its advanced position while the tack holdingjaws are shown in their opened and lowered positions;

Fig. 5 is a detail bottom plan View of the jaw carrier operating camlocated on what I term the tucker lever or plate;

Fig. 6 is an enlarged detail sectional view partly in elevation showinga portion of the plunger, button receiving jaws, tack receiving jaws,movable sleeve or carrier which supports the jaws, the carrier and jawsbeing shown in their normally closed position, and the dotted linesshowing the position of the plunger and button just at the moment thetack holding jaws are about to be opened;

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary view similar to Fig. 6; in this instance,however, the jaw carrier operating cam has moved to lower the jawcarrier and its jaws to thus open the jaws while the button head isabout to be forced down on the tack fastener;

Fig. 8 is an enlarged detail side sectional view of the anvil and jawcarrier taken at right angles to Fig. 6, the jaws being removed for thesake of clearness, and showing the carrier in its upper or normalposition; I

Fig. 9 is a top plan view of the jaw carrier and anvil plate;

Fig. 10 is a. perspective of the jaw cc rrier;

Fig. 11 is a detail view of the jaws;

Fig. 12 is a detail fragmentary sectional view showing the plunger onits return stroke, the aws forcing the cloth away from the jaws;

Fig. 13 is a similar view with the jaws nearly closed;

Fig. 14 is a detail view of the oscillating arm that operates the tuckerlever and jaw operating cam, the cam slot causing the jaw operating camto be accelerated near the final movement of the arm to thus acceleratethe opening of the jaws at the proper instant. I

It might be mentioned here that only that much of the mechanism of thebutton attaching machine is shown as is thought necessary to illustrateand describe the invention and to show how the tack jaws are operatedand synchronized with the stroke of the plunger. The details for themovement and synchronization of the tucker slide and lock, the ratchetmechanism for the hoppers that respectively contain the buttons and thebutton fasteners, and many other details of the machine shown in PatentNo. 1,567,882, are not. described or mentioned, or are onlyinferentially mentioned. 7 V

Referring now more particularly tothe several views, and to Fig. 1 forthe moment, there is shown a metal base or tablel from which extends acurved upright arm 2 integral with thebase andslotted in its rear, as at3, (Fig.2) the slot extending fro-1n near the base to the upper end ofthe arm where the arm is, in turn, made to form a bearing 4 in whichthere is a bushing 5 and in which operates the die or plunger 6. 'Thisplung r is slotted at its upper end, as at 7, to receive the connectinglink 8 while the other end of the link is secured to the outer end ofthe main oscillating arm or lever 10, and hereinafter termed theoscillating arm to distinguish from a further oscillating lever thatcontrols the movement of the tack holding jaws. This oscillating arm 10is fulcrumed, as at 11, in the upright arm 2, as may be seen in Figs. 1and 2.

The lower end of the oscillating arm 10 has the bearing 12 for thereception of a connecting rod 14 (Fig. 1) while the said oscillating armisto be actuated in the man ner shown in previous patent granted to meon December 2, 1913, and numbered 1,079,968.

magazine or hopper 15 for holding and supplying the tacks or buttonfasteners which are fed down a chute (not shown) to a tucker slide 40(see Fig. 3) where they are forced one by one onto asmall head or block16, which is the upper part of an anvil post 17, where the tack orfastener gripping jaws 18 hold the same while the button head is aboutto be forced thereon.

It is these tack holding aws, a carrier for the same, the anvil postjust mentioned, the cam mechanism for operating the jaw carrier, and thespecial formation of an oscillating cam lever (all of which parts willbe described in full as the specification proceeds) that form the gistof the present invention.

The tucker mechanism just referred to is shown and described in detailin the patent granted to me, FranklinR. White, on December- 29, 1925,and numbered 1,567,882.

As far as the specification has proceeded, the device is similar to thepatent just above referred to.

Goin back for the moment to the other general parts of the machine,which are also illustrated in the co-pending application, to wit,Frederick H. Peterson, filed April 8, 1931, Serial No. 528,680, forbutton attaching machines, so that the synchronization of the plunger 6with the action of the tack gripping jaws, 18 may be. understood, therethis hopper is rotated with eachmovement of the oscillatingarm 10 is ofno importance to the present invention and is, thereforc,;not describedv Now there is an oscillating lever 30, .as may be seen inFigs. 1 and 2,and it isthe movement of the main arm 10 that actuates thisirregularly-shaped oscillating lever 30; This latter lever is providedwith a slot 31 in which travels the, pin 32 (roller),- which pin 32 isfastened to the aforementioned oscillating arm 10. The oscillating lever30 is shapedrdifierently than the one shown in the co-pending case ofPeterson, and it is by the difference in shape and cam path (slot) ofthis oscillatinglever 30, together with the, difference in the anvilpost and tack holding jaws, thatcause' the tack holding jaws to operatethe way they do andin a different manner than that shown in theco-pending application to Peterson.

It might be reiterated here that in th above-mentioned Petersonapplication, the carrier supporting the tack holding jaws is locked withthe anvil postvduring a certain portion of the stroke of the plunger 6,during which time pressure could be built up As may also be seen in Fig.1, there is a on the carrier and jaws, so that when the jaws wereunlocked they would snap down below the top plane of the anvil post,whereas in the present application the oscillating lever 30 with itsslot or cam actuating path is so designed as 'to' cause the cam whichoperates the jaws to move slowly forwardly for a certain period of time,there being no pressure whatever on the tack holding aws for thisinterval. Then just as the plunger is about to force the button headonthe tack the jaw operating cam will be moved rapidly forwardly and in sodoing raises the jaw operating lever (rear end) to. thus quickly openthe tack holding jaws and move them to alower plane on the anvil post,all of which will be described in detail when the operation of themachine is set out.

V This oscillating lever 30 is provided with the slot 31 as heretoforementioned, and it s will be noticed that near the upper end of whichpitmanfin turn, is fastened to the bell crankor tucker lever 33, whichlatter is the timing element for a number of the parts of the machine,as in the former case. he above pitman, yoke and connection are similarin construction, as shown in the patent granted to me, to wit, No. 1,567,882, and the co-pending application referred to.

It is the movement of the bell crank or tucker lever 33 whichoperates-the tucker slide 40 to advance'the tacks or button fastenersonto the block 16, because the tucker lever 33 is slotted at its outerend, as at 33, to engage the downwardly extending pin 34 which is a partof the tucker slide 40. The detailed description of the tucker slide andits synchronization with the feeding of the buttonsis shown in thepatent granted to me, No. 1,567,882.

There will now follow just a short description of the means for holdingthe button heads, which button heads are acted on by the movement of themain plunger or die.

Referring again for the moment, therefore,- to Fig. 1,.there is shown abutton chute 35 which leads from the magazine 96 and extends down to andunder the plunger or die 6. There will also be seen the arm 90 which ispivoted, as at 91, (see Fig. 2) while the forward portion 92 of the armextends downwardly in an angular relation and has the jaws 93 mountedthereon. These, however, are not the jaws that "form a part of the gistof the present invention and should not be confused therewith. There isalso shown a supplemental pair of jaws 94 cooperating with the jaws 93for preventing. the buttons from rebounding from the aws 93 and neithershould these jaws be confused with the aws that hold the tacks orthatton fasteners.

As in the co-pending application, or in Patent No. 1,567,832, granted tome, and formerly mentioned, the machine andits operation are verysimilar, and it will be understood that when the main oscillating arm 10is raised, it not only causes-the plunger or die to push the arm 92 withits button and jaws downwardly, but it will also cause the oscillatinglever 30 to move forwardly and, in turn, through the yoke and pitmanmove the tucker lever 33 which, in turn, will force the tucker sliderearwardly beyond the tack escapement (not shown) so that when theoscillating lever 10 is again lowered, the tucker slide on its forwardmovement will force a tack or button fastener out on the anvil block 16to be clutched by the j aws 18. An operation of the lever 30 alsorotates the magazine 96 to liberate a further button to the chute andalso performs other operations that need not be mentioned at this time.

Now understanding the general operation of the machine, reference willbe made to the manner in which the tack holding jaws are formed andoperate and how the cam mechanism is synchronized with the stroke of theplunger, and it is this part of the machine that differs from theco-pending application and from the patents previously mentioned.

It will also be remembered that when the word tack is used, it is usedin its broadest sense to cover a tack or other desirable form of buttonfastening member.

Referring for the moment to Fig. 5, there will be seen the tucker lever33, the cam 36 thereon and the operating face 37 thereof. The tuckerlever is very similar to the tucker lever shown in the co-pendingapplication, but the position of the operating cam face is in adifferent position, so that the lever 33 may rotate or swing forwardlythrough a somewhat wider arc than previously, before the cam facecontacts with its member or lever for lowering the tack holding jaws.This tucker lever 33 is substantially in the form of a triangular plateand has its apex slotted to encircle a pin 34 which operates the tuckerslide. The tucker slide is connected to a pitman 26, so that a movementof the oscillating lever 30 will actuate this tucker slide. There isalso a rod 99, a fragmentary portion of which is shown in Figs. 3 and 4,which extends up to the hopper which holds the tacks for imparting aratcaet movement to the hopper, so that the tacks may be liberated tothe tack chute. As this tucker lever is revolved from the position shownin Fig. 3 to that shown in Fig. 4, it will, besides operating the tuckerslide, cause a small lever 41 to be operated, which lever 41 will lowerthe jaw carrier and its jaws,.as will shortly be described.

In the co-pending application, this lever 41 placed the jaw carrierunder a pressure that was continuously built up until the jaws wereunlocked, after which the jaws would snap down in their lowermostposition, whereas in the present application the jaw carrier is made totravel quickly but not to snap, thus avoiding any chance of breaking ofthe aw or aw carrier of the cam lever 41.

As in the former instance, the tucker lever is partly cut-out on itsunder surface 38 to receive a handle 39 so that this tucker lever 33 maybe hand-operated in case a tack be comes jammed in the tucker slide.This is fully illustrated in Patent No. 1,567 ,822, above referred to.

Referring for the moment to Figs. 1 and 2, there is shown the cam lever41, which is identical to the form of cam lever shown in the co-pendingapplication and, therefore, but a short description is necessary.

It will be seen that it is formed of two parts 42 and 43, the partsbeing pivotally joined about the pin 44. There is one slight change,however, and that is the heel 45 has a socket, so that a steel ball 45may be placed therein. Inthis way, there will be but little frictionwhen it rides up the hardened surface 37 of the cam 36 formed on thetucker lever 33. The nose or forward end'46 of this articulated leverprojects over and normally rests on the vertically movable jaw carrier17 which is in the form of a sleeve and travels about the anvil post 17,

sisting their assembly is a small nut 51 which is screwed up to theshoulder or lug, after which a check nut is placed in back of the same.The pin will be provided with the little integral nose 52, while thecollar 53 may be seen at the rear end of the spring. The nose will fitwithin a slight depression in the lug 47 of the lever. The pin, with thespring 50 under heavy compression, is fitted between the two parts.

There is an advantage in having this little lever articulated, as eventhough there is no built-up pressure on it, as in the former instance,still if it so happens that the operator does not take good care to keepthe dirt and lint from around the anvil post, .thesleeve will graduallypack the lint about it and the aw carrier would soon stop short of itsfull length of travel. However, the spring joint in the lever will takecare of the difference in stroke. It will be understood that the tuckerlever must make its'full oscillation and the tucker slide must operatethroughout its full stroke or it would not tuck the tack or rivet orbut-ton fastener properly in the tack holding jaws.

Now referring to the anvil post and the jaw carrier, itwill be seen thatthese differ radically from those shown in the co-pending application,as there is no necessity forundercutting the anvil post nor in providinglugs on the jaws to lock with the anvil post as, although the jawsoverhang the anvil post to clutch the tack, still it is only necessaryfor a downward pressure on the jaw carrier to lower the same to thusspread the overhanging jaws and bring the noses of the jaws nearly flushwith the upper surface of the anvil post, so that they will not be inthe way ofthe attached button.

Referring now to Figs. (St-0 9 inclusive, there will be seen a coilspring 54 under the carrier 17 to normally hold the carrier in itsproper position, this carrier fitting over the anvil post 17, whichlatter fits within the bore of the forward end of the table. It will beunderstood that when the tucker lever 33 is operated from the positionshown in Figs. 3 and 4, through the movement of the oscillating armlOand the lever 30, the

heel 45 of the lever 41 rides up the cam face 37. There is a differenttimed relation here than in the co-pending application. In the presentinstance, the tucker lever, with its cam, travels throughout the greaterpart of its'rotation before the cam face 37 contacts with a heel 45 ofthe lever 41. .Furthermore, when the cam does'contact wit the lever 41,the cam is moved very rapidly rather than at the same rate of speed asis the casein the co-pending application.

Now as the articulated lever 41 exerts pressure on the jaw carrier 17,it will be greater than the upward pressure exerted which is slightlydished, as at55, to accommodat-e the curvature of a tack rivet orfastener; Slidi'ngly' mounted on the post 17 is I the aforementionedcarrier 17 which has the small jaws l8 pivotally mounted thereon. Thereare two uprights 57 and 57 forming a part of the carrier and to theseuprights are pivoted the jaws 18 by the little pivot pins 58, these jawsoperating'between the two uprights, as may be seen in the several views.I

The aws 18 are provided with the notches 59 in their front faces so thattherespective ends of a spring or resilient member 60 may fit withinthese notches 59 to normally hold the jaws in their compressed position.

.There is'also shown a spring holder 61 which is attached to the upright57 mounted on the carrier 17 'which holds this compressible member inposition, as may be seen in Figs.

.1 and 2. The little spring carrier is also illustrated in detail inPatent No. 1,567 ,882.

It will be noticed that these little aws 18 are not provided withlooking lugs on their stems, as in the co-pending application, but arerelatively smooth.

The jaws at their respective noses are slightly indented or nicked, asat 68, so that when a tack 64 is forced into the jaws by the tuckerslide and the jaws are closed, the recess 63 will encircle theprong ofthe tack to hold it rigidly in position. 'As may be seen in Figs. 6 and7, the nose 46 of the cam-operated lever 41 rests on the upper surface,of the jaw carrier 17 that carriers the jaws 18 just referred to toforce the carrier and the jaws downwardly when the button is jammed downon the tack. It will be noticed that whenthecarr-ier 17 is in its normalposition, the tack encircling jaws will be in the position shownin Figs.1 and 6, and the jaws will then tightly grip the tack 64 which isresting on the anvil, the

tack having been forced to the anvil by the tucker slide in the usualmanner. I

As in the former an lication Fi 8' it 7 will be noticed that in the leftupright 57, there is formed a keyway or slot which is adapted toslidingly fit about the front 66 of the anvil to thus preventthe carrier17 from revolving or moving out of its preliminary vertical alignment.

It is not thought necessary to further describe the anvil, anvil postand jaws, these being similar to those shown in the co-pendingapplication, with the exception, however, that the anvil is not undercutand the inner faces of the jaws are relatively smooth, so that althoughthe aws when closed tightly hold the tack in position and the noses ofthe jaws overlie the top of the anvil, they are not locked against anupward or downward movement, as is the case in the structure shown inthe co-pending application above-mentioned.

Before setting out the operation, it will be understood that the lowerportion of the carrier 17 is circular andthentapers inwardly anddownwardly, as at 67, while the spring 54 encircles the post 17and-extends up about the tapered portion 6'? and rests beneath the rearuprights of the carrier, so that this spring can normally hold thecarrier in its. upward position to thus, in turn, hold the jaws normallyclosed.

Operation Supposing there is'a button head within the aws 93, which awsare directly beneath the plunger 6, and presume there is a tack or rivet64 resting onthe anvil 16. Then the cloth to which the button is to beattached will be placed directly over the jaws while a clutch (notshown) will be operated and a rod (not shown) will move the mainoscillating arm 10 upwardly, that is, the rear end of the same. Thismoving of the oscillating arm 10 will start the plunger in its downwardcourse and will also move the oscillating lever 30 inwardly, which leveris connected to the bell crank or tucker lever 33. As the plunger 6continues to descend by the continued upward movement of the rear end oftee oscillating arm 10. the oscillating lever 30 with its cam paththerein will also be continuously moved inwardly, while its lower end28, of course, moves outwardly, which operates, it will be remembered,the tucker lever 83 through the connecting, pitman 26. The tucker lever30 will continue to turn slowly, and after the plunger has descended fora goodly partof its stroke and within close proximity to the tack pointon the anvil, the ca m face 37 will be directly under the heel 4:5. Theoscillating arm 10 with its pin will now be about opposite the point X(see Fig. 2) on the oscillating lever 30. The tack at this point willjust have made contact with the hub of the button shell.

As the oscillating lever continues to rise from the point marked X tothe position shown in full lines in Fig. 2, the lever 30,

due to the curved cam path at this point 31, will move them more rapidlyinwardly and, in turn, pull the. pitman 26 more rapidly rearwardly tothus quickly advance the cam on the lever 33 and, in turn, tilt thelever 41 as shown in Fig. 2. The nose of this lever 41 hearing on thejaw carrier 17 will cause the same to rapidly descend and in doing soopen the jaws and lower them out of the way.

The plunger will then continue in its downward stroke until theoscillating arm 10 has advanced to its full position as shown in dottedlines in Fig. 2. There will be no further movement of the tucker leverduring this portion of the stroke, as the remainder of they cam path inthe oscillating lever 30 follows the arc with the pivotal point of theoscillating arm 10 as a center.

Thus, it will be seen that the jaws tightly grip the tack on the anviluntil the button head is slightly pierced by the tack, thus assuringthat the tack will be held firmly in its upright position during thepiercing of the button head. Then, at the last moment, as the button isabout to be jammed down on the tack, the jaw carrier with its jaws aremoved quickly downwardly, thus spreading the jaws and moving the samedownwardly out of the way. Thus, there is no .vuilt-up pressure on thejaw carrier during the descending of the plunger and the jaws grip thetack until the button is about to be forced on the tack, at which timethe jaws are rapidly opened and pulled downwardly.

In the meantime, the tucker slide is driven rearwardly so that it willadvance another tack forwardly when the tucker slide again advances.

After the tack has been driven through the cloth and up into the buttonhead and the main oscillating arm 10 starts downwardly the plunger willmove upwardly while the jaws still remain in their lowermost positionuntil the oscillating lever is again in the full line position shown inFig. 2.

The oscillating arm 10 descends until the roller on the pin 32 isopposite the point 6. Then the oscillating lever 30 will again moverapidly to the right until the pin is again opposite the point X. Asthis oscillating lever moves to the right, of course, the tack holdingjaws will rapidly ascend and will pass through the position shown inFig.

11.1 The head of the tack which has been forced through the cloth willnever catch between the closing aws, because as the jaws rise they willtend to raise the cloth and the noses of the jaws will go under the tackhead rather than jam between the tack head rid and the cloth, as .may beseen in Figs. 11'

and 12.

As the oscillating arm 10 continues to descend, it will, of course, movethe oscillating lever 30 outwardly and, through the pitman, will causethe tucker lever 33 to again assume its normal position, that is, theposition shown in Fig. 3. Thus, the. cam r'ace 37 will again be to therear'of the heel of the jaw carrier operating lever 41.

The oscillating arm 10 will again descend to its lowermost position, asshown in Fig. 1, and the cloth, of course, will be moved by the operatoralong the jaws to the position for the next button. In the meantime, theescapements for the tacks haveoperated, and another button has beenliberated to the button chute, all of which is similar to the machineshown in the former patents granted to me and in the co-pendingapplication mentioned.

It will thus be seen that the tack holding jaws are not operated by thecam lever 41 until the tack is just about to be driven into the buttonhead and that there is no builtup pressure on the lever 41, as there wasin the former instance, which pressure was held until the jaws unlocked.Inthe present instance, the oscillating lever 30 causes the cam toadvance, but the cam does not contact with its lever until the plungerhas nearly descended its full stroke. Then the tucker lever 33 with itscam 37 is moved rapidly, due to the acute angle of the cam path in theoscillating lever 30. At this instance of speeding up of the tuckerlever, the cam will be jammed under the lever 41, and thus cause the jawcarrier-to move swif ly downwardly to spread the jaws and move the sameout of the way. This opening of the jaws and the downward moving of thesame are accomplished in a smooth and even manner, thus lengthening thelife of the jaws, cam-actuated lever and the other cooperating parts ofthis mechanism.

Furthermore, the jaws and jaw carrier are operated wholly by theoperation of the lever l1, whereas in the co-pending application thejaws are spread by the action of the bevel-shaped button head, forcingthe jaws apart and permitting them to snap to a lower position. I

From the foregoing, it will be seen that I have devised a very eflicienttack jaw open ating mechanism that maybe easily applied to the formertypes of machine now in use or may be built right into a new machine ofthis general type. It will also be understood that the parts illustratedand described are only those that are thought necessary for a fullunderstanding of the synchronization of the various cooperating .parts.7 7 Many slight changes might be made Without in any manner departingfrom the spirit tack gripping aws overhanging said anvil,

and a jointed lever cooperating with the jaws and so arrangedthatan'upward pres sure on the rear oi the lever will cause a downwardpressure on the jaws to thereby operate the same.

2. A button attaching machine including a plunger, an anvii,-slidableand spreadable tack gripping jaws overhanging said anvil, and a jointedlever synchronized with." the plunger contacting withsaid jaws, and thelever so arranged that an upward pressure on the rear of the lever wil'cause adownward, pressure on the jaws to vthereby open the same. 1 V a3. A button attaching machine including a plunger, a tuckerlever, ananvil, slidable and spreadable tack gripping jaws overhanging saidanvil, means for normally holding the jaws closedfand means connectedwith the tucker lever and synchronized with the plun er for exerting adown ward ressure on the 'aws to thereb' oven the same near the end ofthe stroke of said plunger.

4. A button attaching machine including a plunger, an anvil, a jawcarrier on said anvil, a tucker lever, spreadable tack gripping jaws'onsaidjawcarrier, spring means for normally holding the carrier in anupper position and the j awsclcsed, and cam means synchronized with theplunger and operable by the tucker lever for quickly exerting a pressureon the jaw carrier to thereby lower the same to open'the aws just beforethe end ofthe stroke or" said plunger.

:5. A button attaching machine including a plunger, an'anvil beneathsaid plunger, a jaw carrier. movable up and down. said anvil andprovided with tack gripping jaws, a tucker lever, and means'for forcingthe said carrier downwardly to spread said said cam means beingsynchronized with the plunger so that the jaws are adaptedto open justas a fastener is driven within a button head.

in an upper position, cam-operated lever 3 bearing on said aw carrier, atucker level,

a cam on said tucker lever for operating said lever, and'an oscillatinglever for operating said tucker lever, said osc llating levercoopcrating and being synchronized with the jaws comprlslng cam means onsaid tucker lever,

said plunger whereby the said jawcarrier will be lowered and the jawsspread when the said plunger has nearly completed its stroke. a

7. A button attaching machine including an anvil, a jaw carrier movableon said anvil, spreadable tack gripping jaws on said jaw carrier, alever normally in contact with said jaw carrier, a cam for operatingsaid lever, and means for moving said cam slowly into engagement withsaid cam lever and for then thrusting said cam quickly under said camlever to thereby quickly lower and open said jaws.

8. In a button attaching machine, a reciprocating plunger, an anvil, ajaw carrier movable on said anvil, spreadable tack jaws on said carrier,a tucker lever provided with a cam thereon, a lever contacting with saidjaw carrier, and operated by said cam, and an oscillating lever foroperating said tucker lever to in turn operate said cam, said jawcarrier and said tucker lever being synchronized with the movement ofthe plunger to cause said jaw carrier to release and lower said tackholding jaws and to open said jaws near the end of the stroke of thereciprocating plunger.

9. In a button attaching machine, a reciprocating plunger, an anvil, ajaw carrier movable on said anvil, spreadable tack jaws on said carrier,a cam and lever mechanism for lowering said carrier and jaws to opensaid jaws and being synchronized with the movement of the plunger, andmeans for accelerating the movement of said cam to quickly lower saidjaw carrier near the final movement of the stroke of the plunger.

10. In a button attaching machine, a reciprocating plunger, an anvil, ajaw carrier movable up and down said anvil, spreadable tack jaws on saidcarrier, the said jaws being closed when the carrier is up and open whenthe jaw carrier is down, a cam and lever mechanism to actuate saidcarrier in synchronism with the movement of the plunger, and anoscillating lever for operat ing said cam and lever mechanism andarranged to accelerate the movement of said cam near the final movementof the stroke of the reciprocating plunger to thereby quickly lower saidjaw carrier and open said jaws.

11. In a button attaching machine, a reciprocating plunger, an anvil, ajaw carrier movable up and down said anvil, spreadable tack jaws on saidcarrier, the said jaws being closed when the carrier is up and open whenthe carrier is down, a cam and lever mechanism to actuate said carrier,and an oscillating lever provided with a tortuous cam path for operatingsaid cam and lever mechanism and arranged to accelerate the movement ofthe cam near the final stroke of the movement of the reciprocatingplunger to thereby lower said j aw carrier and open said jaws. I I

12. In a button attaching machine, a re ciprocating plunger, an anvil, ajaw carrier movable up and down said anvil, spreadable tack jaws on saidcarrier, the said jaws being closed when the carrier is up and open whenthe carrier is down, a cam and lever mechanism to actuate said carrier,and an oscillating lever for operating said cam and lever mechanism andprovided with a cam path, the cam path diverging sharply at an anglenear one end to accelerate the movement of said cam to thereby quicklylower said jaw carrier and open said jaws.

13. A button attaching machine including movable and spreadable tackholding jaws, a cam and lever mechanism for lowering and spreading saidjaws, and an oscillating lever having a forward and rearward movementconnected with said cam and lever mechanism, said oscillating leverbeingprovided with a cam path, said cam path diverging sharply near one endin a direction opposite the forward movement of travel of saidoscillating lever to thereby accelerate the iovement of'the cam andlever mechanism to thus quickly open said jaws at a predetermined time.7

14. In a button attaching machine, a reciprocating plunger, an anvil, ajaw carrier movable up and down said anvil, spreadable tack jaws on saidcarrier, the said jaws being closed when the carrier is up and open whenthe carrier is down, a cam and lever mechanism to actuate the saidcarrier, and an oscillating lever having a forward and rearward movementprovided with a tortuous cam path for indirectly operating said cam andlever mechanism, said oscillating lever being synchronized with thereciprocating plunger, the cam path near one end diverging sharply at anangle to the forward movement of travel of said oscillating lever toaccelerate the movement of said cam as the plunger nears the end of itsstroke to thereby quickly lower said aw carrier and open said jaws.

15. A tack fastener holding means comprising a vertically movable jawcarrier, pivotal jaws on said carrier, an oscillating cam for movingsaid carrier to, open and close said jaws, and means for acceleratingthe cam during a predetermined interval.

16. A tack fastener gripping mechanism including a vertically movablejaw carrier, pivotal jaws mounted on said carrier, an oscillating leverand cam for-actuating'said jaw carrier to open or close said jaws, andmeans for accelerating the oscillating movement of said cam at a desiredtime in the oscillation of said cam.

17. A button attaching machine including a tucker mechanism, a forwardlyand rearwardly oscillating tucker lever for operatfing said tuckermechanism, means for operating said tucker lever, an anvil, a jawcarrier provided with movable aws adapted to grip a fastener when onsaid anvil, the said carrier being vertically movable on said anvil, acam on said tucker lever, and means extending between the cam and jawcarrier for forcing said carrier downwardly quickly to open said jawswhen said oscillating tuck er lever has nearly completed a rearwardoscillation.

18. A button attaching machine including i an oscillating lever adaptedto control a tucker mechanism and a tack gripping mechanism, saidoscillating lever being provided with a cam path extending substantiallylongitudinally thereof for the greater part of its distance,then'extending slightly forwardly with respect to the machine and thensharply rearwardly and finally upwardlyto its extreme end. 1

19. An oscillating lever for a button attaching machine adapted tocontrol the opening and closing of tack gripping jaws and a tuckermechanism, said lever when in its normal position having a campathextending from its bottom rearwardly upwardly with respect to the frontof the ma chine, then slightly forwardly, and then sharply rearwardlyand finally vertically upwardly.

20. In a button attaching machine, an an vil, slidable and spreadablejaws on said anvil, a normally positioned horizontal articulated levercooperating with said jaws,

means for raising the rear end of the articulated lever upwardlytoslidably move said jaws downwardly to thereby open the same, and meansfor returning said jaws to their upper closed position.

In testimony whereof I aifix my signature.

FRANKLIN R. WHITE. I

